Albeet b



(No Model.)

A. B. S'OHOPIEL'D.

SEAL PRESS.

'Pate'nted Nov. 15,1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

ALBERT B. SOHOFIELD, 0E JERs Y CITY, NEW JERsEY.

SEAL-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 373,201, dated November15, 1887.

Application filed February 1, 1887. Serial 270226.122. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT B. SoHoFIELD, of Jersey City, in the countyof Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful.Improvement in Seal-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

In my pending application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 206,921, I haveshown and de-' scribed a seal for cardoors, which consists of asoft-metal body and a bail or loop, the arms of which are provided withshoulders engaging with shoulders in the interior of the body, and aresecured in the body by exerting on opposite faces of the body a pressuresufficient to close the soft metal thereof about the arms of the bail orloop. The seal-body shown in said application has-its opposite edgesconverging toward one end; or, in other words, it

' is wedge-shaped as to its edges, and has its opposite facessubstantially flat.

My invention consists in the combination, in a seal-press, of a box orframe having upright side walls converging from the front thereof inwardand a die having its side edges correspondingly converging and snuglyfitting against the side walls of the box or frame, the die beingsubstantially parallel with the bottom of the box or frame, and movabletoward.

' soft metal in the body about the shouldered arms of the bail or loop,and it is important to make the opposite side walls of the box orframeconverging from the front inward, and

make the seal-body of like form, because the seal-body may then bereadily removed from the box or frame of the press after its metal hasbeen displaced bythe pressure exerted upon it. Inasmuch as theconverging side walls of the box or frame confine the metal laterallyand prevent any enlargement in width, the recesses in the body of theseal which receive the shouldered arms of the bail or loop are causedtotightly embrace such shouldered arms, and by the pressure upon it theseal-body will also be somewhat elongated. The die must also be made ofconvergingform or wedge-shaped to fit the box or frame and have its/sideedges work snugly against the side walls of the box or frame, else whenpressure is applied the soft metal of the seal-body would be caused toflow upward between the edges of the die and the side walls of the boxor frame. It will therefore be observed that when a seal-body is placedwithin the box or frame and the die applied to it, the soft metal of theseal is confined on opposite edges and on the top and bottom.

The form of the box or frame and sealbody above described is alsoadvantageous, because it enables the body to be properly placed in thebox or frame to receive the pressure of the die without any difficulty,it being only necessary to slip the seal-body into the box or frameuntil the converging edges of the sealbody come to a bearing around theconverging side-walls of the box or frame.

The die which is included in my new combination above set forthpreferably has a projection extending lengthwise between the convergingedges and upon the middle portion of its face, and by the operation ofthe die the seal-body will be subjected to pressure between the arms ofthe bail or loop, so as to cause the metal of .the body to flow outwardin opposite directions around such arms, and will afterward be subjectedto pressure upon substantially the whole of its face. A screw operatedby a ratchet-lever constitutes a convenient means for producing thepressure of the die upon the seal-body; and in order to prevent theaccidental turning of the screw, or, rather, to prevent it from turningbackward with the ratchet-lever when said lever is returned to take anew hold thereon, I make the screw with a polygonal formation betweenits ends, and I provide a springactuated keeper which bears upon thepolygonal portion of the screw and serves to prevent the return movementof the screw with the ratchetlever.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal section of myimproved press, a portion of the two handles beingbroken away to reducethe length of the figure. Fig. 2 is an end view OfeiihG box or frame ofthe press and the die which is movable therein. Fig. 3 is a horizontalsection through the box or frame of the press upon the plane indicatedby the dotted line at m, Fig. 1, showing an in- IOO vertcd plan of thedie and the arm which carries it. Fig. 4 is a plan view of theratchethead of the screw and the pawl mechanism carried by theoperatinglever or handle. Fig. 5 is a plan of a seal which has beenclosed or subjected to pressure in the press; and Figs. 6 and 7 aretransverse sections of the sealbody on the dotted line 3 y, Fig. 5,respectively showing the body after it has been subjected to pressureand before it is subjected to pressure.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

In Figs. 5. 6, and 7 I have shown a seal like that forming the subjectof my aforesaid application, and which consists of a bail or loop, A,having its arms shouldered and inserted within recesses b in thesoft-metal body B, after which the soft-metal bodyis subjected to thepressure of the die, the die forming in the face of the body adepression, I), and thereby causing the metal to flow outward inopposite directions around the arms of the bail or loop A, in order toclosely confine them in the body.

0 designates the box or frame of my press, the top and bottom walls ofwhich are substantially flat and parallel, while the opposite sidewalls, 0, converge from the front of the box or frame inward, giving thebox or frame a wedge shape in its horizontal section.

D designates a die, which is of corresponding wedge shape to the boxor'frame, as shown in Fig. 3, and which is movable in the box or frametoward and from the bottom thereof. The converging edges of the diesnugly fit the walls 0 of the box or frame. This die D is in thisexample of my invention supported at the end of a spring or resilientarm, D, attached at d to one of the levers or handles E. The lever orhandle E has upon its end the box or frame 0, and the attachment of thedie D, by means of the elastic arm D, causes the die to automaticallyrise after it has been forced downward to exert pressure upon theseal-body.

Upon the face of the die D is a projection, d, so situated as to bearupon the middle of the body B of the seal between the arms of the bailor loop A, and when said die is forced down upon the seal-body theprojection d produces the recess or depression b in the face of thebody, and the die during the latter portion of the operation exerts apressure over substantially the whole face of the body.

Any words,-letters, or other symbols may, by the die, be impressed uponthe body. For example, the body may show in the recess or depression theletter and numerals R 578 and on the magin of the body around suchdepression it may show the letters Penna R. 1%., Pier 1 N. 1%., NewYork, as is shown in Fig. 5. Theinspector then hasa ready means ofdetecting whether the seal has been properly closed. If the seal showssimplythe letter and numerals R 578, and not the matter upon the bodyaround the depression or recess b, the inspector at once sees that theseal has not been properly closed.

The making of the box or frame with converging side walls orwedge-shaped in horizontal section is very desirable for severalreasons. By such form the metal of the sealbody is confined on all foursides and the metal of the body is caused to flow outward around thearms of the bail, and then flow lengthwise. When the seal-body and thebox or frame are -both wedge-shaped, or have converging sides, provisionis afforded for adjusting the sealbody to the exact position desired inthe press without any care being necessary, it being necessary only topush the seal-body into the box or frame until its converging edges cometo a bearing against the converging side walls of the box or frame, andthe seal-body will then be in the exact position desired for receivingthe pressure of the die D d. The wedge-shaped form of the box or frameand sealbody also enables the body to free itself from the box or frameafter pressure has been applied and then removed. If the opposite sidewalls of the box or frame were parallel and served to confine theseal-body during pressure, it would be almost impossible to withdraw theseal-body from the box or frame after the pressure is removed therefrom.

For operating the die D, I have here represented a screw, E, which fitsa nut, c, in the box or frame, and which is operated by a ratchet handleor lever, E". It is necessary that the ratchet movement through whichthe screw is operated be of such character that the screw can be backedout after it has been turned to force the die D down upon the body, andI have here shown an ordinary form of ratchet mechanisnnto which I makeno claim. Upon the end of the screw is secured a ratchethead, 6, fittinga small cavity, 6, in the lever or handle E, and with this ratchet'headengage pawls c, which are caused by springs e to engage the ratchet-heade. The pawls e have arms or toes e, and by means of a notched tumbler, 6one or the other of said pawls may be tripped and held out of engagementwith the ratchet-head. When it is desired to force the die downward toexert pressure upon the sealbody, one pawl should be adjusted so as toengage with the ratchet-head E, and when backing out the screw the otherpawl should be adj usted to engage with said ratchet-head.

During the first portion of the movement of the screw,when it is turnedto operate the die, and during its operation to release the die, orremove pressure therefrom, it is necessary that the screw be preventedfrom turning backward when the ratchet-lever E is turned to secure afresh hold upon the ratchet-head e. To accomplish this, I construct thescrew with a polygonal formation, f, as here shown, at the end thereof,upon which bears akeeper or saddle, f. This keeper or saddle is actuatedby a spring, f, to press and hold it in contact with the polygonalformation f of the screw, as best shownin Fig. 1, and the saddle ICC orkeeper exerts a sufficient resistance to the turning of the screw toprevent it from turning backward when the lever or handle E is movedbackward to take a fresh hold upon the ratchet-head of the screw. Thetwo levers or handles E E are operatedin a manner very similar to abolt-clipper or other shears. In this example of 1ny-invent-ion I haveshown in the back of the die D a wearingplate, f against which the endof the screw E impinges.

I am aware that in a ticket-press comprisinga platen and a type-rollerarranged above it outwardly-diverging side Walls or cheeks have beenprovided to form a funnel like guide to direct theticket between theplaten and the type; and I am also 'aware that it is not broadly new .toprovide a die in a press for car'seals with a projection across itsface, and the bed of the press with a corresponding recess, so that whenpressure is applied to the seal it will be bent into concavo-convexform. I do not seek to cover either of the things just described as old.

- I am not aware of any press which has ever been made for seals andwhich had a box or frame the bottom of -which is substantially flat andthe sides of which converge from the end inward, and the die which notonly is substantially parallel with the bottom of the box or frame, buthas its opposite edges converging correspondingly to the side walls ofthe box or frame and snugly fitting the box or frame with such a press,the soft metal of the seal-body introduced into the box or frame isconfined on four sides-that is, on the top, bottom, and theeonvergingsides-and consequently by pressure of the die the metal in theseal-body is caused to flow lengthwise and the entire filling up of therecesses in the sealbody and the closing of the soft metal tightlyaround the shouldered arms of the bail or loop is insured.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination, in a seal-press, of a box or frame having side wallsconverging from the front thereof inward and a die having its side edgescorrespondingly converging and snugly fittingthe side walls of the boxor frame, the die being substantially parallel with the bottom of thebox or frame,

and movable toward and from the same to produce pressure on oppositefaces of the sealbody, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination, in aseal-press, of a box or frame, a die movabletherein to compress a sealbody between it and the bottom of the box orframe, a screw for operating the die, and having a polygonal formation,a lever and ratchet-and-pawl mechanism for operating the screw, andaspring-actuated keeper hearing on the polygonal portion of the screw toprevent the accidental turning of the screw, substantially as hereindescribed.

ALBERT B. SCHOFIELD. Witnesses:

WM. H. ScHoFIELD, O. HALL.

